Amelia's Home & Garden may resemble a secluded, quaint white house, but the 3,000-square-foot building on South Blackstock Road in Spartanburg has the perfect addition to any home. It's filled with hidden treasures.
Beyond the store's main entrance, dining room sets in various patterns and plans are elegantly arranged, as if ready to host a dinner party. Nearby, there is a living room set with sofas in soft pastel colors and bright floral prints, upholstered armchairs and cushions, whose comfort must be tested.
Large furniture pieces incorporate a mix of industrial, eclectic, and Southern home touches, including coffee tables, dressers, chairs, and light fixtures. Large mirrors, oversized clocks, glass vases, canvas artwork and realistic topiaries are also dotted around the showroom.
Jim and Amelia Tony opened the business nearly two years ago after moving back to Spartanburg to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
Prior to relocating, the Tonys owned and operated a furniture store, Home Accent II, in Surfside Beach for 14 years. However, soon after retiring, the couple became anxious and could no longer enjoy the regularity of life.
“We're both very active people, and we felt like we needed something to occupy our minds to stay active, so that's why we opened Amelia's Home & Garden,” says Amelia Toney. Told. “We decided to buy a tiny little house in Spartanburg.”
This “tiny little place” has since expanded to include a garage at the back of the building and a warehouse down the street to store extra materials and merchandise.
“Business here is doing much better than we expected,” Jim Toney said.
Provide more unique items
Unlike the Surfside Beach store, Tony's focuses more on unique, custom-made furniture and home décor. “We sell sofas, chairs and dining more than anything else,” Amelia said. “And now we are known in Spartanburg for our unique lighting fixtures.”
The store carries lines such as Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Home, Paula Deen Home, and Rachael Ray Home.
The Toneys get some of their store's products from the larger furniture market, but they also leverage the network of vendors they've built over their years in business. “Through experience, we have access to a variety of (furniture) parts because we have sourced them over the years,” Amelia said. The couple's home is said to be decorated with several items from the store's sellers.
Customers can purchase products from the showroom floor or come up with special orders not found in stores. “We have hundreds of fabrics for people to choose from,” Jim said. “All of our upholstery products are made in America, with some produced in North Carolina and Florida.”
Choose the right design
What sets Amelia's Home & Garden apart from the big furniture chains is the personalized design consultation provided by the Tonys' two in-house designers.
Designers Marsha Jennings and Natalie Harris visit customers' homes to help them choose furniture colors, patterns, and fabrics for either a room or an entire home.
Jennings, who earned a degree in art with an emphasis in interior design from the University of South Carolina, said most of the clients she has worked with at Amelia's Home & Garden have been decorating dining rooms, kitchens and family rooms. Told.
Many of these customers are seniors who are downsizing and moving into condos or apartments.
“Customers often ask about the size and color of the sofa,” says Jennings. “We can give them a complete picture of what they can do.”
Harris, who earned a design degree from Appalachian State University, said it can be difficult to find quality home decor products that are affordable and unique.
“Everyone has a similar look, so what Amelia did was bring a different look to the area, brighter colors and different styles, and it worked out really well.” she said. “That's what's so fun about decorating right now. Not everyone wants a whole package of one color or the same furniture line.”
add a personal touch
Above all, Tony's takes pride in providing a high level of customer service. That's what keeps people coming back from places like Greenville, Travelers' Rest and Gaffney, Amelia said.
“We’re always aware of our customers’ budgets, so we ask them to tell us their budget and we work around it,” she said. “We strive to make anyone who needs our services feel really comfortable.”
Robin Snellgrove, owner of The Paisley Paw in downtown Spartanburg, has decorated her home with many pieces from Amelia's Home & Garden. A dining set, corner china stand, bed frame, glider chair and two sofas came from the store, she said.
“When I walked into the store, I knew right away that this was the place I wanted to get my furniture. It looked like very high quality furniture and was similar to my tastes,” Snellgrove said. I did. “These pieces are so unique that nothing I've seen before. The slipcovered sofa was what I wanted to get, but there are so many other things I wanted to get.” I saw it and fell in love.”
One of her favorite pieces from Amelia's Home and Garden is a rustic dining room trestle table with metal legs that form a cross pattern at each end. “From design assistance to furniture delivery, everything went very smoothly,” Snellgrove said.
Although the Tonys have no immediate expansion plans, they plan to develop the business over the next 10 years.
“One of the things I've noticed is that we really enjoy working with the people of Spartanburg,” Amelia said. “They're really nice and easy to work with. We appreciate the business they bring us.”
